Nightshade
by LewdestSenpai
Summary: A nord with a passion for battle and goat cheese, a khajiit with a troublesome past, and an Imperial with a long history of adventure. Caught up in a proxy war between two rival drug dealers, a young elf alchemist must decide who, and what, is worth fighting for as her world comes crashing down.


Seleaen stepped off of wooden carriage and onto the mossy ground. Of course the step off was really more of a leap for her. She landed on her knees, steadying herself with one hand, her bag of alchemedics in the other. There was a chill in the Falkareath air, the low lying clouds blew overhead through the valley. After several years of study and teaching at the College of Winterhold, she was on her way home to her family in Chorrol. Seleaen's mother owned a shop there, and she was the towns go-to alchemist. Seleaen's sister lived there to; last she had heard from her sister, she was studying restoration magic. She gave a small bow of thanks to the carriage driver before heading off through the city. The small town received more traffic than it had a few years prior, the dragonborn had taken up residence not far down the road. It had been a few years since the dragonborn had disappeared, and it was this that caused the increased interest in the legendary warrior. Seleaen reached the inn's entrance, and reached up to open the door. The sign above the door read "Dead Man's Drink," It hadn't changed in the time since she had been here last. It had been a long ride, and she was looking forward to a tankard of ale before bed. The door swung open as a nord man was thrown across the room onto the floor.

"Eep!" Selean let out a small yelp of surprise. Two men sat laughing at the bar, while a Khajiit woman dusted her hands.

"Alright you three, that's enough fighting. You're going to make a mess out of my inn." Valga said in a stern voice, while using a rag to clean out a tankard.

"He had that coming." Said the first man at the bar, an imperial with dark hair, who wore some loose leather armor on his person. While rather messy, Selean could tell he was an experienced fighter, from both how he held himself and the weapons he wore. Two glinting dwarven axes, both well polished and sharp as razors.

"I won't argue that." Valga answered "And your friend has quite an arm."

The kajiit woman sat down on the bar "Years of learning the bow have made my arm strong." She raised her mug "And mead makes it stronger!" She threw back her head to drink as the men laughed again.

"Come now, you lot are scaring our new arrival." The bard pointed to Selean, who realized she had been frozen in the doorway for some time now. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Come in! We don't bite!" The second man, a burly nord practically roared at her.

"Seleaen!" A gentle female voice caught her off guard as she turned to recognize Narri, the friend she had made on her first trip through Falkreath some three years ago.

"Narri!" She practically giggled as the two embraced, although Narri almost had to kneel so that they could reach one-another. Although the two had been apart for three years, they had always kept in touch with letters. Seleaen was impressed with Skyrim's couriers, they always managed to find her a deliver Narri's letters to her, regardless of where she was.

"Welcome back Mrs. Elmpool." Valga beckoned her over as Narri released her.

Seleaen awoke to the smell of frying bacon and melting goat cheese. From behind the closed wooden door came the slightly muffled sound of Delacourt's lyre. She sat up and stretched, her pale blonde hair falling loosely past her shoulder. She didn't wait long to slip out of bed and into her rusty red traveling robes. Narri had told her the other night that the robe did little to complement her beauty, Narri always said that her soft gold hair and crystal blue eyes made her look like a princess. But of course, she wasn't royalty at all. Just a simple alchemist. Seleaen picked up her bag, and walked toward the door. She stopped just before it, and used a small scrap of leather to tie her hair back into a single pony-tail.

"Good morning, Seleane." Narri said while sweeping the stone floor with a straw broom.

"Mornin." Came a mumbled greeting from the three travelers she met earlier.

"Good morning." She answered them, somewhat unsteadily. As she observed them now, she realized just how different they looked. The day before they had been dressed in old beaten armor and rags, but today they wore shining armor that made them look more like heroic nobles. The Imperial wore a white and gold chainmail, which seemed to weightlessly follow his movements as he reached for the bacon. He still had his dwarven axes on his hips, although he wore another sword over his shoulder. The sword looked as though it was made of bone and steel, and the hilt was decorated by a stone the color of the sunset. The Kajiit now wore slick black armor with many pockets. Over her arm was a wicked bow, which looked to be daderic in origin. The nord had shining steel plate armor, his winged helmet resting next to him on the table, while on the floor his orcish warhammer was leaning against his stool.

She sat down at a table on the opposite side of the room from the three. She gazed at the travelers as they ate their meal, talking, laughing, and using their fingers to draw routes on a map they had before them. They were all very well built, and from the weapons and armor they wore, she knew they had seen lots of fighting. She wondered how they managed to laugh still. She always imagined that fighting and killing would break someone, but they seemed happy and full of life. She wondered what adventures they had been on, and what wonders they had seen.

"He's pretty cute isn't he?" Narri said following her eyes to the group of adventurers.

"What?!" Seleane coughed on her ale.

"You've been staring at him for a while now."Narri said giving her a smile. "Don't be shy! Go talk to him! There's no way anyone could resist a little bosmer princess!" Narri grabbed Seleane's arm and tugged her to her feet.

"Narri! It's not like that!" Seleane set her feet and pulled against Narri, but her nord arms were stronger.

They were halfway across the room when the door slammed open and five imperial soldiers entered.

The soldiers scanned the room with swords in hand, as an imperial officer strode into the room. His eyes immediately fell upon the adventurers who had risen slowly to face the officer and his men.

"Silator Vicinus, Shoki, and Ysgelheim Doom-Honored. You are herby under arrest by order of the emperor." The officer spoke sharply to the three.

"On what charges?" Roared the nord, Ysgelheim.

"Several counts of murder, as well as smuggling and treason. Come quietly, and your deaths will be swift." The officer stepped forward drawing his sword.

"Prehaps we could step outside for this?" Asked Silator, the imperial "I would hate to make a mess of Valga's inn."

"I haven't time for your games! Weapons down now!" The officer snarled again.

"No." The Ysgelheim boomed.

"So be it! Kill them all!" The imperials charged forth, swords raised.

The nord wasted no time in putting a hand atop his warhammer, extending his leg, and bringing it back in a reverse kick. The heel of his foot sent the warhammer up into an arc over his head, and came down hard on the first charging guard, who was slammed to the ground immediately.

Silator unsheathed both his axes, spinning around to deflect the second imperials slash, and kicked him hard sending him reeling back. Seleane barely had time to hop out of the guards way and retreat towards the door. The third came at him from the left with a thrust, but Silator saw it coming. He crossed both his axes to snare the guards blade, and twisted it from his hands before breaking his nose with the butt of his right axe.

Shoki used her foot to kick the a stool into her hands, and brought it down on a pressing guard. He buckled and fell beneath a shower of splinters. The kajjiit brought out her bow and notched an arrow, letting it fly into the second solider. It caught his hand pinning it to the wall.

"Come on, Shoki, that's gonna stain!" Silator sighed "And was the stool really necessary?"

"I had to make do." Shoki shrugged.

"You pests!" The captain shouted "I will not let you mock the empire this way! Prepare to die!"

The captain rushed forward at Ysgelheim, swinging his sword in a horizontal slash. The nord put his hands at either end of the warhammer, bringing it up to block the swing. The captain was fast however and spun around, slicing upwards and Doom-honored's exposed side. The nord leaned away from the blade, but it kissed his left shoulder and cheek as it passed, drawing blood. The nord used his left arm, which he had already brought back in an attempt to dodge to throw a punch into the captains helmeted head. The powerful blow caused a clang from the collision of bone on steel, and the captain relented and backed up a few paces.

During all the excitement Seleane and the others did not notice a sixth man enter the bar. He remained unnoticed until he unsheathed his dagger and brought it to Seleane's throat. He spoke in a deep, raspy voice "That's enough excitement Nightshade Company. I wouldn't want to slip and cause and accident."

"Seleane!" Narri yelled in fear "Let her go!"

All eyes fell to the new appearance, the man's face was wrapped in bandages with only a small gap between them for his eyes. His armor was a patchwork of leather scraps and old linen, and he pointed a twisted black ebony dagger at Seleane's throat.

Silator grit his teeth at the sight of the man "Black-witch company."

"That explains how the imperials found us in Stormcloak territory." Shoki notched an arrow.

"Let the elf go, she has nothing to do with these miscreants!" The captain commanded.

"Oh, but she does. Can't you tell? She's the one who's been making Nightshade company their skooma. Isn't that right little elf?" He pushed his dagger harder against her throat so she couldn't speak.

"What?! Seleane would never do that! She's an alchemy teacher at the college in winterhold! Not a drug dealer!" Narri retorted.

"She may not be." The masked man rasped, "but they are."

"That's impossible. Skyrim doesn't have the facilities to manufacture that much pure skooma." The captain shook his head.

"But the college does. But you wouldn't know that, because no one but the mages and scholars are allowed in. And little miss skooma here." He cackled dryly behind his mask.

"That's…" Realization dawned in the captain's eyes.

"He's lying. He just knows we don't kill innocents." Silator growled.

"Well then you've one choice. Put down your weapons, or I put down your supplier." He cackled again, pushing the dagger against her throat again, drawing blood. Seleane noticed he smelled of ashes and rot, his rough armor pressing against her back.

"You've till the count of five." He rasped again.

"Five." Shoki raised her bow.

"Four." They weren't going to disarm. Seleane could see that in the way they readied their weapons. She had to save herself.

"Three." With her right hand, she discreetly began feeling about in her bag for anything she could use to get out of her peril.

"Two." There had to be something in here!

"One." Seleane's fingers grasped a glass vial inside her bag carefully placed so that it wouldn't break and spill its contents. She could feel the heat rising from inside it.

"Times up." He cackled again "Goodbye elfy!" He went to move his arm just as shoki released her arrow. The black shaft seemed to cross the gap between them instantly, striking the wrist of the man holding the dagger with a splintering crack. He and Seleane howled in pain as his wrist splintered and rolled under the impact, shattering his wrist bone and pining his hand in place. The arrow had gone straight through his hand and into seleane's shoulder, preventing him from moving his armed hand.

"You arrogant fools." He seemingly coughed with rage. He grabbed Seleane's hair with his left hand pulling her head back. The bandages fell from his face to reveal his rotting teeth which he bared at her. He moved his head down in an attempt to bite her throat just as she brought the vial smashing into his face. They both screamed in pain again as sharp glass and burning fire salts scorched her hand and his face.

He recoiled just enough for a clear shot, a black shafted arrow appearing through one of his eyes. He twitched once, and went limp, pulling Seleane to the ground with him.


End file.
